Soupor Bowl tops mark with net of $55,000

The Grafton Education Foundation reached a new fundraising record at its seventh annual Soupor Bowl event Jan. 26. 

The event at Cedars III Bowling Center in Cedarburg netted $55,000, which was 38% more than last year. 

“We are beyond thrilled and grateful for the community’s generous support of the Soupor Bowl this year,” Grafton Education Foundation President Chris Hogan said.

During the event, attendees were surprised when the winners of a $10,000 reverse raffle, Del and Kristi Creps of Colorado, decided to donate the entire prize to the foundation.

“They have relatives who attend Grafton schools. They wanted to give back to the district that they know is doing great things,” Hogan said. 

A portion of the proceeds will be used to match funds for the foundation’s Fund-A-Need program to create a community store at Grafton High School that will be called the Hawk’s Nest.

During the event, $5,085 was raised for the store, and the foundation’s goal is to raise another $5,000 by Friday, March 15. The amount will be matched by the $10,000 reverse raffle donation to reach a $20,000 goal to build the store.

The Soupor Bowl also benefited from repurposed wood from the gym floor at the former Grafton Elementary School. Students in the high school’s industrial arts program made coffee tables, boot boxes, coat racks, picture frames and gym floor replicas, which were sold during a silent auction. 

About 200 people attended the event, which featured soup from local restaurants. Attendees voted for their favorite soups across three categories. Anvil Pub & Grille won the “Fan Favorite” category for its beer, brat and cheese soup; NSeven Coffee Company’s wild harvest soup collected the “Most Inventive” category; and Atlas BBQ’s Southwest smoked chicken soup earned “Most Like Mom’s.”     

Since forming in 2009, the GEF has provided more than $250,000 in grants and gifts to  Grafton schools.